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The great-grandfather has been married to his wife for 67 years, but only told his family that he was gay last year.

Originally from Poland, Ronald Blank and his wife Ruth moved to the United States after the end of World War II.

Mr Blank spoke to YouTube video creator Davey Wavey about his unique coming out story ahead of a documentary, On My Way Out, that grandson Brandon Gross is directing about him.

Mr Blank explained that he had known he was gay since he was five years old. He said he told his family: “I was born and was all my life gay.”

“I told them the whole tragedy of my life and then they understood what happened to me.”

To be gay was a crime, and you were condemned to choose either suicide or life in a closet. I decided to liveRonald Blank

In a previous interview with Out Magazine, Mr Blank explained that when he was young: “To be gay was a crime, and you were condemned to choose either suicide or life in a closet. I decided to live.”

The nonagenarian told his wife Ruth, also 96, the truth about his sexuality decades earlier than his family.

Mr Blank told Ruth, who is also a Holocaust survivor, that he was gay after the birth of their second child in 1953.

She kept his secret until he was finally ready to tell his two children, five grandchildren and one great grandchild last year.

The 96-year-old dispensed his pearls of wisdom about love in the touching interview.

He confirmed he would like a boyfriend or companion, but he doesn’t care what they look like.

He said: “I don’t look at their face, I look at the heart.

“I’ll be very honest about it. I really don’t need any physical or mental connection. But I want to. I want to go to sleep and have somebody close to me, not for any other reason but to be sure that someone cares. That’s all.”